An Open Letter to Maria Lvova-Belova

Leah Mordehai
Oct 26
2 min read

Dear Ms. Lvova-Belova,

The Ukrainian war is important to me because Ukraine holds the graves of my ancestors and your army is adding graves every day. The world has some questions to ask you. When Russia invaded Ukraine it didn't just take territory. Ukrainian children were abducted under the guise of “rescue.” Russian authorities relocated children from occupied territories to Russia. Many of these children's identities are concealed making reunification with their families nearly impossible. This Russian-sponsored trafficking violates international laws, including the Geneva Conventions. You stated that more than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia since the beginning of the war. In an interview Maria Fouksman, who was moved to Russian-occupied Crimea during the war, said, “Every morning, I would listen to the Russian anthem. We were told Ukraine is not going to exist anymore.” The International Criminal Court determined that the deportation of Ukrainian children constitutes a war crime. The ICC issued arrest warrants for you for the illegal relocation of Ukrainian children.

Ms. Lvova-Belova, have you ever come across or heard what the Bible says?

The Bible says, don’t do to others what you don’t want to be done to you….

Do you have children? Boys or girls? How old are they?

Would you like them to be treated as you have treated the Ukrainian children you abducted?

Please answer me and the world!

Stealing children from their homeland is like uprooting young saplings from fertile soil, denying them the chance to grow strong, and replanting them in foreign ground where they will wither and fade. In Ukrainian, Мечта is your dreams for your life. Before the war, Ukrainian children had lives filled with joy and laughter. They attended school, played with friends, and imagined their futures as doctors, artists, teachers, and athletes. Their families nurtured their hopes, celebrating birthdays, reading bedtime stories, and going fishing together. Each child had an identity, a history shaped by their language, traditions, and the love of their homeland. Your war stole these dreams, replacing them with fear and forced separation from family and friends. What was once a childhood filled with happiness has been torn apart, leaving these young souls adrift in a world that seeks to rewrite their past and control their future. I pray these children are returned so that all of their Мечты will come true.

Whispers of peace talks for the Ukrainian war are finally circulating the world, with America and Russia as the participants. Unfortunately, neither Ukraine, nor Europe are included in these talks. The world hopes the return of Ukrainian children from Russia will be of utmost importance in negotiations, and will be resolved in favor of all abducted children being returned to Ukraine. The ICC will not be able to condemn you for your actions because Russia is not a party to the ICC, but don’t doubt for a minute the entire world will.

– Leah Mordehai

Comments

My Anchor Abroad

During my time in Latvia, I lived with a host mom named Ilona. Her husband was away at work, so it was just the two of us and her two cats, Poofa and Louis. Little did I know, she would become someone who I will forever care about. Going into this study abroad trip, I was nervous for the whole host family aspect, unsure of what to make of it. On that first night in her home, I realized I would be well taken care of. Of course that first week, we were still getting to know e

3 days ago2 min read

The Life and Legacy of Maria Prymachenko

The story of one of Ukraine’s most renowned artists is one of immense struggle, passion, and inspiration. Maria Oksentiyivna Prymachenko was born on January 12, 1909, to a peasant family in the village of Bolotnia (north of the modern Kiev region). She contracted Polio when she was just seven years old; the illness left her debilitated, without the ability to stand freely for the better part of two decades. It was this limited mobility and her mother having taught her embroid

7 days ago2 min read

The Hallways Still Echo

eight hours, one day a week, for eleven years of my life. what began as a mandated routine, another school day ontop of a school week— became a Rhythm of my Being, a Heartbeat Stitched into Heritage. not just a place I went to, but a Home that Raised me, Not just a place that worn me, But an Escape from the “country of freedom.” its lessons, laughter, and love built more than knowledge, they built Identity. from the scrawny enscribed desks to the couch tucked away so lovely

7 days ago1 min read

More Than a Building: Saving the Heart of Ukrainian Life in New Jersey

Every community has a place that feels like home. For Ukrainians in New Jersey and far beyond, the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Somerset is that place: a welcoming hub for celebration, community, and shared history. Today, this historic site is in immediate danger. There are active plans to sell, rezone, and demolish the center to make room for a giant warehouse, which could erase one of the most significant symbols of Ukrainian-American heritage. For decades, this center ha

Nov 52 min read

Mama, I’m All Grown Up

This week I was asked to advocate at Capitol Hill in front of the bipartisan Congress for Ukraine in part with the American Coalition for Ukraine. There were four pillars of discussion: Make Russia Pay, Return of Abducted Ukrainian children, Sanctions, and Security Guarantees & Economic Partnerships. Just hearing the titles of these pinnacle ideas alone should be enough to suffice the obvious answer—to stop the illegal Russian invasion that Putin cast into Ukraine. These five

Nov 34 min read

My Journey with Russian

As a kid, I hated Russian classes. Every Sunday, my mom would drag me to two-hour classes that would always leave me feeling frustrated. My teacher, Tyota Alla, was an old Belarusian lady who only spoke Russian and did not know how to teach non-native speakers. As someone who grew up in a house where Russian was rarely spoken, as my dad spoke no Russian, these classes were very challenging for me. Over time, I grew to hate the Russian language and thus my culture. I thought

Nov 12 min read

Slavic Voice 4 Ukraine at the Ukraine Action Summit

When a few high school students in San Francisco decided to create a space for Slavic and Ukranian youth to share their voices, they had no idea how far those voices would travel. What began as a small creative project has grown into Slavic Voice 4 Ukraine —an international media platform uniting young writers and changemakers across the United States, Europe, and Central Asia. Through stories, poetry, and journalism, Slavic Voice for Ukraine has become a home for culture, d

Nov 13 min read

Identity

In this self-portrait, I explored how my identity was imposed by others throughout my childhood; a time when I was most vulnerable and unable to advocate for myself. My solemn expression reflects the quiet weight of this experience as multiple hands grasp the кокошник , a traditional Russian headdress, and the вишиванка , a Ukrainian embroidered shirt. These cultural garments, drawn from both sides of my family, embody the tensions experienced with a dual identity: in my case

Oct 291 min read

Happy Ukrainian Writing and Language Day!

Ukrainian Writing and Language Day is an annual celebration on October 27 that honors the Ukrainian language, its cultural heritage, and the historian Nestor the Chronicler, one of the founders of early Ukrainian writing. This holiday allows people to learn about the history of the alphabet and the development of Ukrainian writing, while promoting the use of the Ukrainian language in Ukraine and abroad. History The holiday was established on November 9, 1997 by a presidentia

Oct 271 min read

An Open Letter to Maria Lvova-Belova

Dear Ms. Lvova-Belova, The Ukrainian war is important to me because Ukraine holds the graves of my ancestors and your army is adding graves every day. The world has some questions to ask you. When Russia invaded Ukraine it didn't just take territory. Ukrainian children were abducted under the guise of “rescue.” Russian authorities relocated children from occupied territories to Russia. Many of these children's identities are concealed making reunification with their families

Oct 262 min read